Terry Crews

Actor, Artist & Activist

At the Podium

There are motivational speakers, and then there are “motivational do-ers.” Terry Crews is the latter. This bonafide powerhouse—actor, activist, best-selling author, former athlete, and beyond—has inspired countless individuals to “do something about it.” “It” can mean many different things to many different people: a difficult career choice, a seemingly unattainable goal, an addiction, an abusive relationship, or just life in general. Crews speaks from his experience—something he encourages everyone to do—but in the process, he is able to relate to universal stories of struggle.

Having endured abuse in childhood, Crews managed to turn his nascent passion for art into a prestigious scholarship at a young age, a path that would lead to an athletic scholarship at Western Michigan University and, eventually, Crews’ storied career in the NFL. Not content to slow down after retiring, Crews set his sights on Hollywood and launched the career for which he is most famous today. However, Crews will be the first to tell you that it was no easy ride. Between financial difficulties, confronting the challenges of a toxic masculine culture that included treatment for pornography addiction and an initial hesitance to talk about his experience with sexual assault in order to heal, Crews could have given up many times over. But he refused.

Crews believes that “whatever is meant to destroy you can be your salvation.” With a combination of radical honesty, effortless charisma, and infectious enthusiasm, Crews inspires audiences to be overcome fear and shame, be honest, do the work, and live life to its highest potential.

About Terry Crews

Action-movie hero, sitcom star, game show host, pitchman, former NFL player and best-selling author all describe the man that is Terry Crews. Crews is perhaps best known for his action and comedy roles in an impressive resume of film and television work which include The Expendables film franchise, Golden Globe award-winning and SAG Award-nominated comedy series Brooklyn Nine-Nine, Everybody Hates Chris, and the wildly popular Old Spice commercials. He is also known for his ability to pull off what is considered the “best robot” on earth.

The three-time People Magazine “Sexiest Man Alive” star has top-lined some of the biggest films of the past decade including his star-making turn in the Wayans brothers’ comedy classic White Chicks and the Mike Judge-directed cult classic Idiocracy, to the #1 film of all time on Netflix, The Ridiculous Six opposite Adam Sandler, who is a frequent collaborator with Crews having worked together in five films. Crews also ventured into hosting and was the face of the long-running game show staple Who Wants to be a Millionaire, as well as the hit Fox clip show series World’s Funniest.

In 2014, Crews added author to his resume with the release of his book Manhood: How to be a Better Man—or Just Live With One, which received critical acclaim, with Jezebel calling Terry “one of the most progressive and thoughtful voices in gender criticism.” Crews has also proven himself a frequent viral video collaborator, teaming up with Jimmy Fallon for their famous ‘Nip Sync’ duet, starred in a Super Bowl commercial with the Muppets, was featured as one of The New York Times “Scene Stealers,” for his role on Brooklyn Nine-Nine, and he also officially became a verb in the urban dictionary.

Last summer, after seeing his son’s interest in video gaming and computers, Crews decided that they would build a PC together from scratch while employing help from his fans across the Internet. After one Facebook Live video created an explosion on the Internet with fans from all around the world helping Terry and his son build their PC, the gaming industry started calling with offers for endorsements and partnerships. Just this past June, Microsoft unveiled their highly-anticipated Xbox One and Windows game Crackdown 3, in which Crews’ likeness will be available as a playable character, Commander Isaiah Jackson, named after his son.

Crews, also a lifelong artist, recently added furniture designer to his resume this year with the fall 2017 release of his capsule collection with Bernhardt Designs, which won an award at the prestigious NeoCon show in Chicago. Always drawing and sketching alongside his many day-jobs, Terry joined the ranks of a number of other design-world heavyweights including Yves Béhar, Jaime Hayon and Ross Lovegrove as a contributor to Bernhardt’s portfolio.

But behind the brawn, bullets, and laughs is a renaissance man from Flint, Michigan who, as a teen, got his first big break after high school with an art scholarship at the prestigious Interlochen Center for the Arts in Michigan. This was followed by an Art Excellence scholarship and a full-ride athletic scholarship for football at Western Michigan University, where, as a star defense end, he helped lead the Broncos to a Mid-Atlantic Conference Championship in 1988.

After several years in the NFL (where he painted portraits of teammates to supplement his income) with the Los Angeles Rams, San Diego Chargers, Washington Redskins and Philadelphia Eagles, Crews turned his talents to the performing arts, where his talent, hard work, character and dedication has made him one of the most sought out and respected talents in the industry.

Crews has frequently returned to his Flint roots, recently directing his own Travel Channel documentary for their docu-series Celebrity Adventure Club, in which he explored his own childhood, interviewing his mother and former school teacher and even paid visits to two automotive companies in Detroit that have seen a major comeback – General Motors, where he stepped onto the assembly line to fasten some bolts, and Ford, where he got to test drive a 2016 Mustang convertible. He also met up with baseball legend Willie Horton at Comerica Park to discuss Detroit’s resilience and rising community.